James and the Flying Kipper
by RetroCaboose
Summary: When Henry is ill, James must pull the Flying Kipper and he is not happy. But he can handle one night right? Yeah, I didn't think so either. Follow your favorite red engine's adventure with several trucks of fish!
1. Runaway Kipper

Today Henry was feeling sick as he sat in the sheds. His wheels ached from pulling goods trains and his siderods felt like they were about to fall off.

"Oh dear, I hope Henry feels better," worried James as he waited to collect passengers from Knapford.

"I'm surprised the James the Grand would care about anyone else," joked Thomas as he pulled into the station.

"I'm worried about myself. Whenever Henry is out the Fat Controller always has me pull his smelly fish trucks," complained James.

"They're called the 'Flying Kipper'," said Sir Topham Hatt as he arrived, "And yes James, you must report to Brendam Docks tonight to pick it up." and he drove off leaving a complaining James and an annoyed Thomas.

That evening, James arrived at Brendam Docks grumbling about 'stupid smelly fish'. He found a long line of vans packed with fish of all sorts caught off the coast.

"Here ya go Red!" called Porter as he shunted the last van into place, "Enjoy the run. We've got extra vans, this seasons been pretty good."

"Aye me hearty," added Salty as James backed down on the train, " Currents be bringin' in huge shoals of the silvery swimmers,"

"You got that right, " said Arthur as he shunted _even more_ vans in place behind James' train. "Oh and do be careful, the trucks have been extra rowdy today."

A brakevan was secured to the end of the train and James gave the vans a good hard bump to get them starting. He steamed away into the night feeling very undignified to be pulling fish.

"Oi!" screamed the vans, "This fiery monster is bumping us,"

"Silence!" ordered James as he braked hard, sending the trucks bumping into each other.

The hurt and offended trucks soon quietly conspired to get back at James.

James' run was going great. In fact he was impressed. The trucks behaved and soon the train was so light that he no longer struggled to start and stop. But just because it _felt_ like there were less vans didn't mean there _were_ less vans.

James soon found this out, he steamed out of Wellsworth.

"Be careful!" called Edward from his shed "Those trucks will try to hold you back!"

The red engine paid the blue engine no mind, "I can handle them," he retorted.

But suddenly the rails started to get steeper and steeper. James was climbing up Gordon's Hill with a very heavy train! He suddenly remembered that he had bumped the vans earlier that night.

"Maybe we can go and get Edward to be a banker," wondered James.

"I don't think that we have enough time!" cried the driver looking back. The vans had broken free! They cheered and laughed as they sped down the hill out of control.

"Looks like somebody ordered the fish to-go," quipped the driver, he soon was slapped in the back of the head by his fireman.

James raced backwards down the hill after his runaway train.

Unfortunately Percy was running up the line with mail but he soon saw a brakevan growing closer and closer. This could only mean one thing. If Percy didn't get out of the way, he would be crushed!

"Run away! Run away!" yelled Percy as he wheezed past Wellsworth.

The alarm sounded at the station as everyone woke up to stop The Kipper. Men were everyone phoning upcoming trains to warn them and set the signals to danger. Workmen ran to switch the points to unused sidings.

But Percy didn't know this and he rolled right into an earth bank.

"Deja vu, I presume," he mused but soon snapped out of it when he saw a horrible sight. The Flying Kipper was going to crash into him!

"Oh no! Horrors!" screamed Percy as the brakevan smashed into him and shoved the mail vans and fish vans off the rails.

Soon the Fat Controller arrived to assess the damage at Wellsworth. He sighed as Edward arrived with Rocky and Henry came to take away the unhurt trucks.

"So James, I hear that you and Percy got into a 'little accident' he began.

"I can hardly call it little," squeaked Percy from underneath a pile of dirt and mail.

"Anyways, we can't blame anyone really. You were given way to many trucks from the docks, but you bumped the trucks, and although you brushed off Edward, he should have given assistance. Now I hope that all of you will think of this event long and hard so this won't happen again." he turned away to let the rescue team do their job.

The engines would definitely never forget this terrible crash for a long, long time.


	2. Redemption for James

Percy was puffing down Thomas' Branchline pulling some trucks of quarry stone. It had been a few weeks since James had caused a runaway train that crashed into him. Suddenly he saw James puff by with a train of vans.

"Oh dear! Oh dear! He's gonna kill me!" screamed Percy as he tried to get away. But his driver held down the brakes.

"Red signal Perce," said the driver as he pointed up at the signal.

The little green engine lurched backwards to get away from James, "Please don't let your trucks attack me again!" he cried.

"What, no, this isn't the Kipper," said James as he pulled up," I'm just taking these to the scrapyard to be broken down."

"Oh thank goodness," breathed Percy.

James continued, " What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"Oh, nothing," he looked away and whistled innocently before James steamed off.

At the scrapyard, James left the rusted vans in a siding when Arry and Bert oiled along beside him.

"What is it you stinkin' reapers? I don't have time for you, just let me go peacefully. "

"No, no, no, you don't understand," began Bert, " You've left those trucks in the wrong yard."

"Yeah, move 'em," continued Arry.

"No boys," said Diesel, emerging from the shadows, "They'll be safer there right. Because compared to some steamies, we know about basic safety," he taunted.

"Oh shut it you!" exclaimed James as he stormed out of the smelters' yard.

"Wow, nobody trusts me to pull the Flying Kipper anymore," he complained to his driver and fireman.

"Don't worry old boy, Henry's ill again and now's our chance to redeem ourselves hopefully." assured the driver.

"I hope you're right," piped up the tender engine.

That night, James returned to Brendam Docks and was surprised to see that Murdoch and Molly were already there and coupled to two separate lines of fish vans.

"The Kipper's been split Red, " explained Porter, "Since Henry can't take the train and we have more than ever before. You're going to double head with Molly while you both follow Murdoch along the regular route."

"I'll try my best Porter, but I don't know if I'll be as good as Henry," Molly worried.

"Oh relax little dear," comforted Salty, "You've got Murdoch looking after ye!"

Murdoch beamed from buffer to buffer but James fumed, "Hey! What about me?"

"Oh, and that one," added Salty, then he added again in a whisper, " _You_ can look after _him_ ,"

Soon the trio set off to deliver fish. Murdoch led the way and cleared the line, while James and Molly followed with their vans.

The trio did well as they pulled into Tidmouth, but the journey wasn't finished, they had to get to the Mainland. But suddenly, disaster struck, Murdoch hissed steam and stopped in front of James and Molly.

"What's happened?" called Molly and James together.

"Well, I've stopped." said Murdoch, with extreme sarcasm, "We'll have to stop and delay the Kipper for me to be repaired,"

"Wait! We can't stop!" cried James, "This is my hour of redemption. Molly, let's run around to front to pull him and the train."

"Are you sure?" she asked

"Yes, of course, some of the vans are empty so it'll be easier to pull. Please just take this chance. For your friend James?"

"Oh, okay. I hope this works," said Molly as she ran around to the front of the train,"

The two tender engines backed down on Murdoch and set off, heaving and huffing and puffing away.

James and Molly did well on their run until they reached Gordon's Hill and suddenly James felt the train getting heavier and heavier. He looked back at Molly to see what happened.

"Oh dear James, I've broken down too we'll have to stop and the Kipper will be delayed!" she sobbed. Murdoch struggled to console her as James began to pick up speed.

"No, I won't let you two down! I! Won't! Let! These! People! Down!" James summited the mighty slope and roared down the other side. He was now pulling an entire train along with two large engines!

"We need more steam if we're gonna make it to Vicarstown," ordered the driver.

"I'm giving her all she's got cap'n!" responded the fireman, quoting a movie.

The triple header raced down the mainline, earning encouragement from Percy, pulling the mail, and Gordon, pulling the express. Finally they had arrived in Vicarstown with the last load of fish to be delivered. The Fat Controller was there to meet them.

"I'd like to congratulate you three for pulling the biggest train of fish since 1922!" he boomed proudly. "Especially you James for carrying your friends and a train all the way from Maron to Vicarstown! After you take Molly and Murdoch to Steamworks you may get a washdown and a brand new coat of paint. For your grand duties and usefulness you have earned this," and Sir Topham Hatt proudly presented a star shaped lantern, " A Sodor Star!"

Soon Vicarstown station filled with cheers and celebration for James, who had finally earned his redemption.

THE END!

 **Wow, my first story complete! Congrats me and congrats to James as well! I hope he wears that star with pride**

 **-R.C.**


End file.
